Page 10 - Tropic Magazine Issue 10

Tropic
Briefing

In season
Our expert guide to
TNQ nature this
February and March.

Words Nicky Horstmann
Birds/ friars tuck in to nectar
This spring and summer seems to have
provided the ideal conditions for our
backyard Helmeted Friarbirds (Philemon
buceroides). With a vulture-like head and
neck arrangement, these honeyeaters Tectocoris diophthalmus
wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but
what they lack in looks, they make up for
with sheer bossiness. They rule the roost Trees/ cool shade of a cottonwood
when it comes to the tastiest and most With another couple of hot months ahead trunk creating a tangle of branches
abundant nectar and are not shy about of us, the appeal of the waterfront covered with heart shaped leaves. It can
backing up their liquid diet with grubs remains undeniable. OK, we might not be withstand just about anything nature
and insects gleaned from the ground. able to safely dangle a toe in the water but throws at it and still produce soft yellow
However, observation suggests that sitting under the shade of a tree and flowers on a daily basis throughout the
helmeted friarbirds might not be the looking out over the ocean or the estuary wet season.
smartest nest builders. Our loving couple does provide some serious cooling A closer look at a Cottonwood tree can
seem to prefer young palm inflorescences benefits. One of the trees that helps us also provide you with the opportunity to
as a support. All well and good you would achieve this utopian dream is the spy some very colourful sap-sucking bugs,
think? Not with the rate of growth of Cottonwood. You might recognise it as such as the Hibiscus Harlequin bug
these flowering structures. The nests are some sort of native hibiscus because of its (Tectocoris diophthalmus). Their patterns of
exposed in no time and their support flower, and you would be correct. metallic green, blue and red along with
compromised allowing the eggs to Botanically identified as Hibiscus tiliaceus, some plain orange (is there such a thing?)
tumble out onto the ground. Nature’s not this species is one of our brave shoreline verge on the inspirational.
always perfect. protectors, sprawling outwards from the

Philemon buceroides Hibiscus tiliaceus Hibiscus tiliaceus

Fruit/ Dragon delights
In spite of our tropical wet season, dragon contrasting tiny black, edible seeds render
fruit make regular appearances at Rusty’s dragon fruit highly desirable from the
Markets. If you have not yet sampled these presentation perspective. For something
delicious cactus fruits, now is the time. A good different, try a dragon fruit and pineapple
red-fleshed dragon fruit offers a refreshing smoothie or make a dragon fruit, lime and
musky flavor which can be enhanced by the rosewater coulis to top a pavlova.
addition of lime juice. Best eaten raw, they You can’t go wrong.
lend themselves to fruit coulis, ice-cream,
gelato, smoothies, fruit salad – you name it. MORE: rustysmarkets.com.au
Their brilliant red interior filled with